2017’s Been Hard For Our Nation, Can We Still Give Thanks nationwide?

Here we are, suddenly finding ourselves in the week that we have set aside as a nation for the giving of thanks.

2017 seems to have been a difficult year for many to find glimpses of the light, to find goodness in the midst of seeming chaos and lots of bad news.

But, as I like to do, I’ll remind you that we’ve been here before, and worse.

In fact, this holiday was set into our federal law books during the midst of our nation’s most brutal conflict, by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. (Here’s a link to his proclamation which is worth reading annually.)

We seem to find ourselves in the middle of culture wars, tax policy wars, political wars, and lest we forget, great tragedies like those that recently occurred in Texas, Las Vegas and elsewhere.

So … can we yet give thanks?

I say YES. Because we must, and because to do so is what sets us apart from our baser selves, and gives us that for which each of us is working and fighting: contentedness and peace.

You should sit in my nationwide office with me sometime, watch the procession of “wealthy” and “poor” clients — families with 7-8 figures in the *bank*, and those going underwater. You would see what I get reminded of regularly: Sometimes my “wealthiest” nationwide clients can be the most impoverished … and those without many zeros in their accounts can be flat-out rich.

Because being “rich” truly is a state-of-mind — and it’s tied to gratitude. It affects how you see savings, retirement, the current and future economy, career growth or investment. And, of course, gratitude is the enemy of fear. It’s like an opposite magnet for it — walk in gratitude, and fear seems to melt away.

So, here’s my advice for this week: Whatever financial (or otherwise) situation you happen to be in, find a way to be thankful. There are hidden blessings in any trial … and hidden fears lying within any windfall or revenue surge. Find and savor the blessings, and watch your family, your co-workers and your domain thrive.

As I gather at my table with family and friends this week … I am thankful for you— and people like you. Thank you for your trust, for your business year after year … and for making my first step into starting and running a firm “way back when” so rewarding now.

No matter what Congress throws at us in these next few weeks in terms of tax law changes (because as I have been reminding some of my nationwide clients and friends this week — nothing has changed until a law is passed), I and your friends here at Smart Tax are in your corner.